I believe death changes a persons outlook on their own life, our world, and our community. A few years back my great uncle passed away from cancer. Upon hearing the news of his death, my family drove 18 hours to Mexico. This was the first funeral I attended. It was also the first time I ever saw my father cry. In this moment, my whole world changed. I understood what loss meant, and how quickly life can change. I saw how a community came together to support one another in this time of need. Relatives I did not know existed, flew out to commemorate my great uncle Jacobo. Fast forward a few years to 2020. Before Coronavirus struck and the world was still at ease, was when my life changed. This was the second time I saw my father cry. On February 24th, 2020, my father was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer. My family did not yield to this news and give up. We joined forces and found my father the best doctors in our city. For the second time in my life, I saw our community come together and support my father. My relatives created a video where they each expressed their love for my father and wished him luck on his journey. Chemotherapy took so much out of my father. We were terrified that his body would not be able to handle the amount of stress, and that we would be facing another funeral. However, my father prevailed. He survived chemotherapy and everything else doctor threw at him. Many months of chemo, radiation, and ER visits later, my father was given some good news. He had a surgical procedure done to completely remove the tumor. After a year of torment, my father was officially cancer free. I learned from both of these experiences. In both instances, I saw how my own family reacted to news and how they came out the other end. I saw how my community came together and supported each other in each case. Both times, I had a common thought; how can I be like them? I am a Biology major with an emphasis in Pre-medicine. I am going to become an Oncologist so one day I can help people like my great uncle, or like my father. If there is one thing I learned from my family, is that the power of a community is stronger than anything else.